Trademarks are an interesting thing in the world of professional wrestling as they can alter a gimmick or even entirely change a wrestler’s name. WWE often changes the name of its superstars so they can keep hold of trademarks if a separation were ever to take place. Well, one WWE Hall of Famer and wrestling legend has recently filed a trademark that could greatly affect the gimmick of a current champion on Monday Night Raw .
For months now, Becky Lynch has been using the nickname of “The Man,” and it has been worked into her storylines and even merchandise. After defeating Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair for both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Titles at WrestleMania 35 , it has been a fitting moniker.
Over the years, there have been numerous superstars and wrestlers who have been called “The Man,” but one is overly memorable. During his time in the ring, Ric Flair often used the catchphrase of “To be the man, you have to beat the man,” and followed it up with his iconic “Wooooo!”
Even though he is no longer an active in-ring wrestler, Flair is still doing appearances and working as he can. Knowing that, he’s going to always appear as the character and gimmick that he’s worked for decades and that includes being “The Man.”
IW Nerd noted that a recent trademark filed by Ric Flair, LLC was for the phrase of “The Man,” and it is said to be used for wrestling purposes. The detailed description for the trademark states that it would be used for live performances and broadcast media as well, but it would still need to be granted.
If this trademark filing ends up being granted to Ric Flair, he would be in his legal right to have WWE stop using that nickname for Becky Lynch. It’s not known if that is what he would try to do, but he’d certainly have the authority to do that or have the wrestling giant face legal action in the long run.
This trademark being available is quite shocking as WWE is usually on top of those kinds of things, but not this time around. It wouldn’t be overly difficult for Becky Lynch to drop the nickname on TV, but it could cause WWE to lose a great deal of money as her “The Man” t-shirts are good merchandise sellers.
Ric Flair has always been a great wrestler, but this goes to show you that he’s always been a brilliant business man as well.